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. 2010 Mar;55(3):724-32.
doi: 10.1007/s10620-009-0762-z. Epub 2009 Mar 3.

Psychological distress, somatization, and defense mechanisms associated with quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Thomas N Hyphantis  1 , Barbara Tomenson, Marina Bai, Epameinondas Tsianos, Venetsanos Mavreas, Francis Creed
Affiliations

Psychological distress, somatization, and defense mechanisms associated with quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Thomas N Hyphantis et al. Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Clinical parameters predict health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but some patients have impaired HRQOL despite being in clinical remission.

Objective: To identify personality and psychological distress variables associated with HRQOL in IBD.

Method: In a cross-sectional study of 185 IBD patients, the General Health Questionnaire, the Hopkins' Symptoms Distress Checklist, the Defense Style Questionnaire and the Life Style Index were administered. The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire was used for the assessment of HRQOL.

Results: Psychological distress was associated with impaired HRQOL in a dose-response fashion. Somatization mediated the relationships of anxiety and depression with HRQOL. Few years of education, more extensive use of the reaction-formation defense mechanism and higher rates of somatization were the variables most closely and independently associated with impaired HRQOL.

Conclusions: Somatization and reaction-formation are independent correlates of disease-specific HRQOL in IBD patients, and this could be relevant to psychological interventions.

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